The present technique relates to sound reproducing devices having a function of canceling noise.
A related technique has been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-47083.
Earphone devices having a function of canceling noise (in the following, also referred to as NC earphone devices) have been widespread in general.
NC earphone devices perform noise-canceling processing by the earphone devices themselves, and thus a user can enjoy noise-canceling effect when they use the earphone devices by connecting to a normal audio player.
FIG. 13 is an outer view of a related-art NC earphone device 100.
The NC earphone device 100 illustrated in FIG. 13 is a so-called insert earphone device.
Here, the insert earphone device is a generic term of an earphone device whose sound producing section is inserted into an earhole of a wearer for listening. For example, canal and inner-ear earphone devices fall under the category of the insert earphone device.
The NC earphone device 100 illustrated in FIG. 13 is a canal NC earphone device.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, The NC earphone device 100 has an Lch (ch: channel) output section 101L, an Rch output section 101R, a plug section 102, and an in-cord housing section 103.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, the plug section 102 and the in-cord housing section 103 are connected by a cord, and the in-cord housing section 103, and the Lch output section 101L and Rch output section 101R are connected by cords, respectively.
The Lch output section 101L and the Rch output section 101R are provided with a driver unit, which produces sound in accordance with an audio signal inputted through the plug section 102, and a microphone for collecting external sound in order to achieve a noise-canceling function individually.
An electric circuit section (noise-canceling processing section) is disposed in the inside of the in-cord housing section 103 in order to achieve a noise-canceling function.
The noise-canceling processing section generates an Lch-side noise-canceling signal on the basis of an Lch audio signal inputted from the plug section 102 and a collected sound signal from the microphone in the Lch output section 101L. In the same manner, the noise-canceling processing section generates an Rch-side noise-canceling signal on the basis of the Rch audio signal inputted from the plug section 102 and a collected sound signal from a microphone in the Rch output section 101R. And the noise-canceling processing section drives a driver unit in the Lch output section 101L on the basis of the Lch-side noise-canceling signal, and drives a driver unit in the Rch output section 101R on the basis of the Rch-side noise-canceling signal. Thereby, a wearer of the NC earphone device 100 is allowed to perceive sound whose noise has been canceled.
Also, a battery box 103A for accommodating a battery for supplying power necessary for the above-described noise-canceling processing is formed in the in-cord housing section 103.
Incidentally, an NC earphone device 100 is subjected to a sound check at predetermined timing, such as at the time of factory shipment in order to absorb variations for individual devices, and is subjected to adjustment of setting values in the noise-canceling processing in accordance with a result of the check.
Specifically, sound playback is performed in a state of setting the Lch output section 101L and the Rch output section 101R in a predetermined adjustment tool, and setting values of the noise-canceling processing in accordance with the individual devices are obtained from results of analyzing the output sound. The setting values obtained in this manner are instructed to the NC earphone device 100 to set the values.
At this time, in order to give an instruction input of the setting values, the in-cord housing section 103 is provided with a communication terminal for inputting the setting values in advance, and then the instruction input is carried out through the communication terminal. Such a communication terminal is exposed to the outside by breaking away a part of the in-cord housing section 103, etc., and the communication terminal is not assumed to be used by a user (end user).